


Heaven Help the Fool who Falls in Love

by ygrittewildthing



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-08
Updated: 2016-11-10
Packaged: 2018-07-22 06:16:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7423324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ygrittewildthing/pseuds/ygrittewildthing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ygritte is a member of the Free Folk who escaped from the other side of the wall. She tries to lay low and stay out of the politics. Her life is changed by Robb Stark. Maybe there is something worth fighting for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing. If I did, I wouldn't be writing here. The idea of the radio show comes from the seventh Harry Potter book.

Newspapers and magazines scattered across the floor of the apartment with various headlines and cut outs.

_Robert Baratheon rebels._

_Lyanna Stark: Kidnapped or runaway?_

_Inside with Jaime Lannister: the King Slayer._

_King Robert Baratheon: Usurp or Savior?_

_Pregnant Lyanna Stark killed by the Mountain that rides._

_Ashara Dayne throws herself from tower._

_Ned Stark: Hand of the King_

_Jon Arrya dead_

_DNA results confirm: King Joffery, Prince Tommen, and Princess Myrcella are Robert’s children. Interview with Grand Maester inside!_

_Ned Stark: Traitor. His fall from glory and execution_

_Daenerys Targaryen: Married and Pregnant half way across the world._

_Bran Stark and Rickon Stark: Killed by Theon Greyjoy_

_THE NORTH REBELS_

_Melissandre: Terrorist or Saint?_

_Cersei Lannister’s Personal Hell: her tell all about her marriage to the former king from a handmaiden._

_Wildlings escaping._

_The Night’s Watch remains powerless after munity at Craster’s. Official interviews inside._

The radio played a talk show of two men. “ _It is today, that we bring heavy news. As you know, the unnamed reporters of this radio cast are always on the move. We try to bring you the news as quickly as we can but we have had trouble today. The young wolf, Robb Stark, was killed today at the Twins. Not only was he killed while being under guest rights but his direwolf’s head was sewn to his body. That is just….I have no words_ ,” one reporters distorted voice rang out.

“ _You know, I saw the pictures and I have to say….the head looked a little small for a direwolf,_ ” another distorted voice chimed in.

“ _Let’s put a direwolf head on your body…_ ” Ygritte switched the radio off. She had had enough of the news today. She gathered more of the newspaper and magazines from the floor, throwing them into the fire. It was going to be a cold night again but at least she had sheltered now.

It hadn’t been hard sneaking through with Mance. She had pretended to be a Crow. She had banded herself and removed any trace of being female she could. Her hair was starting grow from its short cut.

She ate the gamey bird she had killed earlier in the day. It wasn’t filling but it was better than nothing. She had chosen not return with Mance. She had parted ways with him before they got to Winterfell. She now lived in a small abandoned cabin on The Gift. She wondered about the people who had lived here before. They seemed to like to keep up on the news. They didn’t have any heating beside the fire place. Everything was powered by solar power. She wondered if they were on the run like her.

No one ever bothered her or ask anything. Many thought she was a witch, which made things easier. They didn’t come poking around or ask where she had come from. Her cabin was closest to the woods; maybe they left her alone so that if anyone died, it would be her.

She heard a wolf howl. That was a sound she hadn’t heard in a while. She heard it again. She didn’t like this. Wolves weren’t supposed to be on this side of the wall. She knew the Starks were supposed to have them but they were all dead. It was getting closer.

It was right outside her door. It was pounding against the door and she cursed not locking it.

She reached for her bow and arrow as the door slowly opened. The giant wolf crept inside. His mere mass scared her. She kept her bow aimed at him.

There was something strange about his movement. The direwolf collapsed in front of the fire. His breathing began labored. It was going to die in her house.

She was going to have a dead direwolf in her house.

What the fuck was she going to do with a dead direwolf? She had no idea.

She watched as it gave one last labored breath.

Then suddenly the direwolf seemed to explode.

Ygritte stared wide eyed as there was no longer a direwolf on her floor but a naked man.


	2. Wide-eyed with a heart made full of fright

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still don't own anything.

Ygritte was in complete shock. 

There was naked man lying on her floor. His auburn curls a mess on top of his head. Kissed by fire. She was beginning to wonder if being kissed by fire was actually lucky. For both her and the man lying on her floor, it didn't seem to be very lucky.

Ygritte poked him the handle of her bow. He was still breathing but no other reaction. 

So naturally she poked him again with the bow. He was still. 

She sighed as she left the room to go into the small bedroom. She grabbed one of the fur blankets off of her bed and then returned to the other room. She covered the naked man up; at least she could show him a little decency. She ran her hand through her hair. She had seen some magically, scary things but never a man who could change his shape. It was something she didn't even think was possible. 

Then again, she'd seen the dead rise. 

She tried to not think of the wights. She tried not to think of the people who she used to know slaughtered, only to rise again. 

She sat down at the table. 

Ygritte began to read one of the many magazines that were around the house. She was thankful for the tiny bit her mother had taught her. When she found a word she didn't know, she underlined it. This magazine was newer. Ygritte had stolen it from the tiny newsstand she passed daily. 

**Jeyne Westerling marries the Young Wolf.**

She flipped past the interview; Ygritte did not care to hear about the some girl’s wedding. She stopped, however, when she saw the picture of Robb Stark staring at her.   
Same auburn curls as the man lying on her floor. She looked at him, then back to the magazine and at him once more.   
Robb Stark was dead. His head had been cut off and replaced with that of a wolf’s. He couldn’t turn into a wolf. He wasn’t naked on her floor…..he couldn’t be.  
But he was. 

She heard a groan from the man. He was shivering; one fur would not keep him warm tonight. Ygritte sighed before getting another fur from her room and throwing it on top of him.   
“Ya can stop pretendin’ you’re asleep,” she scoffed as she crossed her arms across her chest. She stared at him, waiting for him to open his eyes. “I should just throw ya out in the snow. What kind of King comes into a woman’s house without warning? Better yet, what kind of King can turn into a wolf?” 

Finally, his eyes opened. The brilliant blue….he was Robb Stark. The boy in all the papers and magazines, there was no denying it when he had those eyes. 

“It wasn’t a dream….I was a wolf?” He sounded as confused as Ygritte. He pulled the fur closer to him, almost as if it would protect him from Ygritte.  
“No, it wasn’t. Ya were a wolf and then ya weren’t.” She uncrossed her arms as she sat down on the couch. “I ain’t got no clothes to fit ya. You’ll just have to cover up with that fur.”   
He cocked his head to the side. “You’re not going to kick me out?”

She should. She should tell him to take his kneeler war and his magic. She should have called the Lannisters to get some sort of deal. She should have turned Robb Stark into the cold.  
But she couldn’t.   
Maybe it was because he was so close to her in age.   
Maybe it was because he was kissed by fire and she needed all the luck she could get.

“Not tonight, Robb Stark,” she replied simply before she retired to her bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long and that it was so short. Needed to get through this part to get to the actual plot.


	3. When your eyes are all painted Sinatra blue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still don't own anything

Ygritte woke up before dawn the next morning. She found Robb Stark was still there, curled up in the furs she had given him. He needed clothes. Nudity did not bother Ygritte but last night, with one less fur, she had been cold. She did not wish to be cold again.  
So Ygritte set off to hunt in the small woods that surrounded the tiny little village. She set traps, hoping when she came back in the afternoon, she’d get lunch and dinner. She saw an old woman chopping wood. She had recognized her, only because her husband had died shortly after Ygritte had arrived here.  
“I’ll chop that wood for ya,” Ygritte called out to the woman.  
“I got it myself, girl. Ya shouldn’t be out ‘ere by yourself.”  
Ygritte shrugged. She had tried but an idea popped into her head. “I’ll do it for all of your husband’s old clothes. “ The old woman stared at Ygritte before handing over the ax.  
“You’ll do it for a fortnight,” the old woman ordered.  
Ygritte simply smiled.

She returned home to Robb Stark fiddling with her radio, wrapped in the fur blanket.  
“What are all those?” He asked pointing to the clothes in her arms. She simply threw them at him. She didn’t have time for questions. She had traps to check.

On her final trip back to the cabin for the night, Ygritte had two scrawny birds. They weren’t much but she could roast them over the fire. She said nothing to Robb Stark as she cleaned them in the sink. She hated plucking feathers. She wondered if anyone in town would trade her anything for these feathers. There was nothing special about them, she didn’t even know what they could be used for. It couldn’t hurt to try.  
She skewered the two birds when she was done and roasted them over the fireplace.  
“Why do you burn so much paper?” Robb Stark asked her. She simply shrugged in response.  
Ygritte was not shy or quiet. She didn’t know how to deal with this…man wolf king. Her parents were long dead, killed by Crows when she had been young. Yet she still remembered her mother saying that she was kissed by fire.  
She looked over at Robb Stark, the red was still there. She wondered why she even believed red hair was lucky anymore. Robb Stark wasn’t lucky.  
“Why are these underlined?” Robb Stark asked as he was reading on the newspapers she had already read.  
“They’re words I don’t know. I underline so I can learn what they mean.” His blue eyes met hers.  
“You can read?”  
She nodded simply.  
“Never met a member of the Free Folk who could read,” he looked back down at the newspaper.  
“How did ya know…”  
“You talk in your sleep.”  
Her face turned as red as her hair. What else could she have said in her sleep? She tried to remember what she had even dreamed about.  
“Who taught you?” He asked looking up as he folded the newspaper.  
“A kneeler woman. One of the raiders…he stole ‘er and she was kind to us. He had gotten her away from her awful husband. I was young, she’d tell me kneeler stories and she taught me to read. I taught her how to hunt.” Ygritte turned the birds as they were starting to get brown on one side. She did not want to burn dinner.  
“What’s it like over there?”  
She didn’t look at him, she stared directly into the fire. “It was freedom; It was hell, both at the same time. ‘ere….it’s worse. Everyone’s killin’ each other over a chair when there are things comin’….” She went silent. He wouldn’t believe her if she told him. No one would believe her. “People killin’ babies…we’re thought to be savages but…” She had no desire to debate Robb Stark tonight. She had no desire to think about things. She turned the birds again.  
“But what? You were saying something and you just stopped? What happened to you?”  
Ygritte shrugged. She didn’t know.  
  
The rest of the night was spent mostly in silence. They both read and then Ygritte went to bed. The wind howled as it blew the snow around. Everything was white. It was a blizzard. The house was cold already. She didn’t know how Robb would make it with only one fur. She left her room to check on him but he was gone.  
She wasn’t surprised. He had eaten. He had warm clothes. Now she was stuck chopping wood for a woman for a fortnight for a man wouldn’t even here. She heard someone at the door so she grabbed her bow, immediately going into a defensive position.  
  
There was Robb Stark, covered in snow, with his arms full of wood. His hair was under one of her fur hats. She couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of him.  
“I bring you wood and you laugh at me,” he said as he threw a few logs onto the fire. He stacked the others next to the fireplace. “Your woodshed is full. Met your friend out there, she’ll have enough for tonight and tomorrow at least.”  
“I didn’t need ya to do that. I could ‘ave done it myself,” She retorted as she lowered her bow. “I’ve been takin’ care of myself long before….”  
Robb Stark held up his hand. “I don’t know where else to go and if you think I’m just going to sit around here and do nothing….you’re wrong.”  
“If you got caught, ya would’ve lead them right back to me.”  
“But I didn’t get caught, did I? Do ya ever let people do nice things for you?”  
Ygritte looked down at the floor. She always depended on herself and no one else. Letting someone help her out when they could screw it up….  
“You should change. If ya get sick, I ain’t takin’ care of you.” She left the room, retreating to her bedroom, bow in hand. 

The wind continued to howl. The fireplace did heat the whole house but it was not nearly as warm in the bedroom. In fact, Ygritte was sure if her hair was going to freeze and break off. She gathered up her blankets as she left her bedroom. She saw Robb Stark was lying on the fur rug near the fireplace with his one small fur she had given him on top of himself. She laid down next him, crawling under his fur blanket before throwing her blanket on top of his.  
“Tha-“ He began but Ygritte put a hand over his mouth.  
“This is to keep warm. Don’t want ya t’ get any funny ideas in that head of yours.” She removed her hand and rolled on her other side so she faced away from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took much longer than I thought it would to get out but here it is!  
> It begins....


	4. Raise You Like a Phoenix

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still own nothing

   There were no cliche moments of cuddling between Robb Stark and Ygritte. They took turns adding wood to the fire throughout the night. Ygritte tried to steal the furs at one point. She swore that she heard growl come from Robb when she did. She let the furs cover both of them and moved closer to him. They slept back to back for most of the night. 

 

   When morning came, the wind was still howling. The snow was falling harder than it had the night before. She was thankful that Robb had chopped the food for the woman, she had no desire to go out in this weather. Robb Stark was already dressed when Ygritte woke up. He had the fur he the night before wrapped around him. "If you're hungry, there might still be somethin' in the cellar. Maybe a jar of oats or somethin'." 

Robb Stark just nodded as he stared at the fire. 

     Ygritte had heard what the radio had to say about what they called The Red Wedding. It was enough to drive anyone craven. She didn't push him for any details, in fact, she didn't want them. Even if they had been wrong about it not being Robb's wolf, she knew it had been Robb's body. Where did he get this body from? Where did his direwolf really go? Could he turn into one again? 

   She imagined Robb wanted those answers too. She looked away from Robb to where he was staring. The flames seemed to dance in the fireplace. Kissed by fire they both were but neither of them seemed to be very lucky right now. Ygritte shifted her focus back to Robb Stark. "Ygritte. My name. I never told ya." 

  That seemed to pull him from his trance. "Robb Stark," he introduced himself even though Ygritte already knew who he was. 

   "Shouldn't ya put a king in front of your name?" She made sure the words came out in a light, teasing tone. 

    Robb shook his head. "No king. Just Robb. I never wanted to be King. I just wanted my family back together. It's all I ever wanted. I was never meant to be a king, just a lord." 

      A king who didn't want to be king, now that was new to Ygritte. She assumed all that had the power had wanted it. Yet here was Robb Stark telling her that he had no desire to be king. It was strange to Ygritte. Even Mance had wanted to be king it seemed to her. King Beyond the Wall. 

    As much as Ygritte wanted to, she knew she could not just sit here and stare at the fire all day. "Your sister is still alive, ya know. They married 'er off but she's still alive." 

     "Is that suppose to make me feel better than they married my sister off to the imp instead of killing her?" 

      "I don't know! I don't have a sister! But you became a king to save your family and now what are you doing? You're sittin' here, in a cabin with a wildling, doin' nothin'! Ya want your family back? Now ya got an upper hand. Now they think you're dead and you're not! Ya could do something with that!" 

      Robb Stark scoffed at her. "And what do you know about war?" 

      Ygritte's hand balled into a fist. She knew more about war than this boy king could ever hope to. She had seen the white walkers. She had seen the wights. She had seen the clans fight between each other. She had seen the people flee to this small town to escape the war. 

"You know nothing, Robb Stark." 

 


	5. Put on your War Paint

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I still own nothing.

     Robb Stark seemed to be one of those people who liked to sulk a lot. Ygritte didn't have that luxury. Then again, she began to realize she wasn't much better than Robb Stark. She had run away from her people when they had needed a leader. She could have lead. She could have rebelled against Mance, she knew the free folk better. She could have gotten the help they needed instead of running. Gods only knew what would happen to the her people now. 

      She disappeared outside, digging the cellar out of the snow. There wasn't much left in it. If she would have been smart, she would have rationed it for days like this when the winter wind blew and the snow covered everything. She found a jar of oats, not much but she could make some porridege for them. The wind howled as she made her way back to the cabin. She slipped on the ice, fell to the ground. The glass jar broke and cut her hand. The blood staining the snow. 

        "Oats in blood and snow...that a wildling thing?" 

         Damn Robb Stark. 

         Damn him to the seven hells that the people of New Gods went to. 

         Damn him to the hells of the Old Gods if there were any. 

        "Come on," he extended his hand towards her. She stared at his hand for a moment before she took it with her uninjured hand. He pulled her to her feet, maybe a bit too much strength on his end. She ended up far too close to Robb Stark for her liking. She let go of his hand quickly before she went into the house. 

       Ygritte was embrassed from falling, for ruining possibly their only meal for today. This was not the way she wanted to be seen. She disappeared into the bath room. She refused to let Robb see or clean the wound. In fact, she closed the door to the bathroom before he had a chance to say anything. Ygritte knew how to clean wounds, she knew how to take care of herself. She didn't need anymore, especially not Robb Stark. 

      She remembered hearing about him over and over on the radio. They all thought that he might be someone who could actually free The North. She had a fanstay for a bit where she dreamed that Robb Stark would free the Free Folk. She dreamed that Mance would talk to Robb and they would come to an agreement where the Free Folk would be safe from the white walkers. They wouldn't have to become kneelers in order to do so. 

    It was all very much a dream. 

    After wrapping her hand, she exited the bathroom. 

     "I could have helped you with that." 

     Was he waiting on her? Robb Stark was going to be the death of her, she already knew this. 

     "I don't need your help. I ain't someone in need of savin', Robb Stark. I can take care of myself. I was doin' it long before ya came along and I'll still be doin' it whenever ya decided to leave." She walked away from him. 

     "Are you always this awful or just towards me?"  With that question, Ygritte was sure that Robb Stark now had a death wish because he was now following her. Ygritte stopped dead in her tracks, turned to the face him.

      "Ya came chargin' in my house! I didn't invite ya! Ya 'ave a wife! Go back to 'er! Go save your sister! Go make a difference in this craven war you started!" Her anger was boiling at this point. 

     "You think I started this war? They killed my father! They have my sisters!" He shouted back at her.

      "Oh! I'm so sorry! It must be awful havin' your family ripped away!" Her words dripped with sacrasm.  "Guess what? Mine are dead too but ya don't see me startin' a fuckin' war over it." 

      "You know nothing about war!" He repeated his earlier words.

      "NO! YOU know nothing about war. I've spent my entire life fightin' a war. A war for survival! I've fought every day on the other side of that fuckin' wall! The Wall your lot decided to build because they couldn't handle the white walkers. Well ya doomed the free folk because we didn't want to bend a knee. We didn't want to live on someone else's terms. They're back and they're coming for all of us. So excuse me if I have no sympathy for a boy playin' at king. 'ave seen the dead rise, Robb Stark? It ain't just the white walkers. No, they're not the worst of 'em. It's the wights that'll give ya nightmares. So fuck your war and fuck you." 

      Silence.

      Neither of them moved. Neither of them said anything. They just stood there. Ygritte's heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest. 

      Finally, Robb Stark spoke, "they're real?" 

      Ygritte's gaze met his as she nodded. 

      "Fuck me," he muttered as he leaned against the wall. "I didn't...I would've...." He ran a hand through his messy curls. "I'm sorry. I...I didn't know. Is that why you're here?" 

        "Aye," she replied as she looked down. She was starting to become ashamed about being here. Ygritte kept thinking how she should have stayed and helped her people. 

       "I married her because I took her virginity. I didn't want her to end up like my aunt. Robert's Rebellion...Lyanna Stark....she was my aunt. Both her and her son were murdered. It killed my father. It haunted him everyday because if he could have just arrived sooner or the baby not have been born blonde..." Robb began to trail off as he looked away from Ygritte. "So I married her. That way if she got pregnant...she wouldn't die. She wouldn't shame her family." 

     Ygritte looked back over at Robb as if he was craven. "Ya know there are ways to prevent pregnancy. So you fucked her. I've fucked several guys and I ain't married to none of 'em. It's all in good fun, just protect yourself." 

      Her blue eyes met his. "Am I getting a sex talk from you right now?" 

      Ygritte couldn't hold back her laughter. "I suppose ya are. Clearly you're parents didn't give ya one. Leave it to the wildling girl in the woods to teach about the true nature of sex." 

      Robb began to laugh along with her for a moment before silence fell between them again. 

      "You can't hide here forever, Ygritte. If what you say is true.."

      "It is." 

      "Then we have to do something about it. You're right. I need to save my sister and with the Lannisters thinking I'm dead...it does give the element of surprise." 

       Was Robb Stark actually agreeing with her? It was strange. The whole situation was strange. 

       "We can't a fight an army of white walkers with just your sisters and us," she reminded him as she crossed her arms across her chest.

       "We're not going to. We rally the Stark Supporters, rather you do. We get my sister back and then we march on The Wall," Robb called to her as he began to walk away. 

       "Rally supporters? Why would they listen to me? I ain't a kneeler. How the fuck do ya plan on marchin' on The Wall? The Crows don't listen to kings." She followed him. 

        "Because you are going to be my mistress. These gossip magazines, they mention it. I never actually had one but....in this one, they say she was pregnant." He showed her the article she had read a few days before all this madness had started. 

        "Okay, so say I pretend to be your mistress....what's me bein' pregnant got to do with anythin'? It ain't gonna help my people!" She was demanding answers. Ygritte wasn't going to go into this blind. 

        "My army never lost until that night. Not once. You help me get that back, I'll get your people over here. We'll fight together. I'll give you part of the North. You won't have to bend the knee, you just have to get people to follow you. Then once we have enough supporters, people we can trust, I'll come out of hiding. We'll get my sister and then onto The Wall. Besides, my uncle is a ranger there. He'll help us." 

     It was craven. It was idiotic. 

     "But why do they need to think I'm pregnant?" 

     "He'd be heir to the North."

     "He'd be a bastard,"she pointed out. 

     "A bastard of a king is a dangerous thing. That's why the killed my cousin. That's why they killed my aunt," he explained as if the answer were something Ygritte couldn't see. She shook her head. It was craven. It was idiotic. It was going to get her and him killed. She didn't want to die. 

      "If I die, burn me," she held her hand out to his, which he took and shook. 

      "You have my word," with that his grip tightened. Ygritte pulled her hand away and ran it through her hair. 

       "Alright, Robb Stark. Tell me what 'ave to do." 

 


	6. Chapter 6

"Just do it again!"

"I don't know how I did the first time!"

"It's not that hard! Just do it again!" 

"Says you! I'm the one doin' all the work!"

"Sittin' 'round moanin' ain't doin' anythin'. Do ya want me to punch ya or something? Will that 'elp ya?" 

"Oh you'd enjoy that, wouldn't you?" 

"Ya know...I really would." 

 

It had been five days of trying to get Robb to turn into Grey Wind again. Five days of Ygritte trying to spark whatever it was that had trigger it the last time. Robb was just sitting on the floor now. Ygritte had thrown several things at him, held a knife at his throat, shot arrows in his direction, and still the damn change wouldn't happen. They were both becoming frustrated. 

"They know your wolf. You're the one who said it would be proof that I was with ya." 

"I know what I said," Robb fell over so he was now spread out on Ygritte's floor. He had clearly had enough of this, just like Ygritte had. 

"Maybe it's because I'm not actually going to hurt you," she shrugged as she sat down next to his body. 

"You know this isn't even my body. The scars, my tattoo, they're gone. The body they cut the head off of, that was Robb Stark. What am I?" He mumbled against the floor. 

"You had a tattoo?" She had never read anything about that in any of the gossip magazines. 

"Yeah, Theon and I...one night, got drunk and got tattoos. He had a kraken and I had a direwolf. Then he betrayed my family." 

Ygritte smirked and pulled her shirt off as Robb's eyes widened. Then on her ribs, he saw it. A direwolf, a mammoth, a shadowcat, a snow bear, and an eagle. There was no scene, just animals tattooed onto her skin. She pulled her shirt back on as if nothing had happened. 

"Yes, they hurt. It was something to do. Not much for entertainment on the other side of The Wall," she leaned back against the wall as Robb sat up. 

"Do they mean anything?" 

It was a question she should have known he would ask. "Aye, direwolf for myself, the rest....Tormund...he thought he was a real giant but he ain't. He kept talkin' about how he fucked a bear so the snow bear is for him. He ain't fucked a bear. He's full of shit." She couldn't help but laugh at the memory. "The eagle for Orell, his favorite to skin change into. The shadowcat for Val, she was beautiful but more lethal than any man could imagine. The mammoth was for my family. Everyone thinks mammoths are gone on this side...like the giants. I wished...I wished my family was like that, ya know? I'd seen 'em die and I was still wishin'...." She trailed off. 

"I know what that's like. Why the direwolf for yourself? It's my sigil, my family's. It's just funny that's what you'd pick." 

"I..I always wanted a direwolf growing up. I wasn't a warg so I couldn't..." 

Robb couldn't help but smirk at her. "Ya know...ya did get a direwolf." 

Ygritte couldn't help but give him a shove. 

 

A few days later, they began to share the hunting and the chopping of wood. It was almost as if they were making a little life for themselves here. 

The radio played as Ygritte skinned the rabbit that Robb had been able to hunt down. 

"Tragic news, well it's not really tragic. I think we all hoping this would happen. King Joffery was killed today. It was believed to have been a plan between Tyrion Lannister and his Stark bride," the voice on the radio seemed to echo through the room. Ygritte looked over at Robb. "The Stark girl, like her sister, Arya, has disappeared. There are reports that she turned into a giant bird and flew away from the capital." 

Ygritte kept her eyes on Robb, she wondered if this would bring out the wolf inside him. "Can your sister turn into a bird?" 

"I don't know. I don't think so. Last time I checked...she couldn't. Then again, I didn't know that I could turn into a wolf." 

This changed their plan, Ygritte knew it. 

"You know, the Starks are extinct at this point. All men are dead and the girls are missing. What will become of House Stark now? I heard Tywin Lannister made Robb Stark's bride take a pregnancy test. If it comes out positive, well...I don't think that babe will ever be born. Who can save the line? Maybe the Starks don't need to be saved. In fact, maybe if Ned Stark would have kept his mouth shut we wouldn't be having this war, now would we? The Starks may not be the saviors everyone has painted them as. Maybe they are the true villains of this whole..."

The voice was cut off by Robb turning the radio off. Ygritte went back to skinning her rabbit, not sure what to say. Was there anything she could say to comfort him? She put the rabbit down and washed the blood from her hands. Robb was shaking. He looked...strange to Ygritte as if he really wasn't there. 

Then it happened.

There was an explosion of clothes, bits of his shirt and pants covered the floor where Robb had been standing. There he was, Grey Wind or Robb. Were they one in the same? 

"Next time I'd suggest takin' your clothes off before ya do that," she scoffed as she began to clean up the mess of scraps of fabric. The wolf just cocked his head at her. "Are ya stuck like that now? Suppose it'd be better if ya were. It's your family that triggers the change I think. I dunno. Did ya get really angry or scared? Do you at least know how you did it?" 

The wolf shifted, leaving a naked Robb Stark standing in front of Ygritte. She couldn't help but be interested in checking the former king out. He was right, no scars, no tattoos. It was as if the man had been reborn. 

"Like what you see?" He smirked. 

"Fuck you," she spat at him.

"Well you did say there were ways to ensure you didn't get pregnant..." 

Ygritte shoved him before she disappeared in her bedroom. 

"Come on, 'Gritte. I'm just having a bit of fun..." he whined outside her door. The two had grown fond of each other over the time they had spent together, though neither of them would ever admit it. 

Ygritte opened the door long enough to throw clothes at Robb. She heard him sigh and decided to come out of her room. "Your family trigger it, didn't it?" 

Robb just nodded as he pulled his shirt on. 

"We know how to trigger it now. We'll get your army, we'll get your sister back..." Ygritte was cut off by Robb before she could say anymore. 

"We don't even know where my sister is. You heard that voice on the radio. No one knows where either of my sisters are. They think we're villains! We don't need to be saved!" He walked away from her but Ygritte followed him. 

"That's what they think of us too. That we're savages, that all we can do is rape and kill. That's all we'll ever be to 'em. The Crows don't give a fuck about us. No one does. Maybe you're tryin' to convince the wrong people to be in your army. Maybe your sisters are dead. Maybe the Stark line is extinct but ya know what ain't? Us. There's an army of Free Folk over that wall that needs savin'. An army that's gonna fall when they attack The Wall and the Crows kill 'em all. Ya said ya wanted to 'elp me. Ya said ya want Winterfell back. Take it back with the Free Folk. The last time a Stark made a move with a wildling, it saved us. Ya know your history. Fuck rallyin' your lords. Fuck 'em. They change sides." She grabbed Robb and made him turn to face her. "We follow strength."

"And what if I'm not strong?" 

For the first time, Ygritte realized Robb Stark wasn't much younger than she was. In that moment, she saw him. Not the man who turned into a wolf, not the king, just Robb Stark. He was as scared as she was. 

"I'm not either. I ran. I was suppose to be at your dinner with the king with Mance. I ran. I couldn't..." Ygritte fell silent for a moment before she continued. "Seein' the dead rise, that fucks ya up. I didn't believe in Mance. He was gonna get us all killed...I knew he was but I couldn't voice it. So I ran. I ran 'ere and I've been 'ere ever since." She looked over at Robb, awaiting for his reaction. 

"We can't rally an army, can we?" They were both faced with a soul crushing truth. They couldn't. Even if Ygritte could rally one as Robb's mistress, there was nothing to stop them from stabbing them in the back. They couldn't get over The Wall and even if they could, how would the army get over to this side? 

"We're powerless and completely fucked," Ygritte sat down on the floor and it wasn't long until Robb joined her. 

A silence fell over them before Robb finally spoke up again. 

"You should really get some more furniture." 


	7. Chapter 7

"Why is it so much colder here? We do not have this much snow at Winterfell." Robb asked Ygritte as she cooked dinner.

It had been a week since they agreed they were powerless right now. She had taken to helping the few other villagers, trading with them mostly. They had moved the bed out of the bedroom and into the main room. That had been a struggle that Ygritte never wished to repeat. Robb was right, it was getting colder here. The snow was piling on top of them. 

"We're close to The Wall. I dunno what's goin' on over there." Ygritte had made a rabbit stew tonight. She had learned quickly that Robb should never be allowed to cook on his own. The boy was a disaster in the kitchen. 

"How close are we?" 

She shrugged in response. "Few days worth of walkin'. Not too far. 'ave ya ever seen it up close?" 

Robb shook his head. 

"You're not missin' anything, trust me. Giant magical ice wall." She continued to stir the stew as she watched Robb get bowls out. It was all very strange. 

There was a tapping on the window. Ygritte froze. Robb looked to her. He had no weapons of his own. Ygritte moved quickly to her bow, loading it. Ready for whatever had caused that noise. She stood in front of Robb as she went to the window. Slowly, she opened the window as a eagle flew in. The eagle zoomed around the house, as if checking to make sure it was all clear before he landed on the table. 

Ygritte closed the window. Orell! She hadn't seen him since she left Mance. 

"Is that an eagle?" 

"It's my skinchanger friend, Orell!" She cast her bow and arrow aside as she moved towards him. She reached out, gently stroking the eagle's head. "No bad blood, right?" 

The eagle screeched in response before moving its head against her hand. 

"You're 'ere for somethin'? Ya know I had to go, Orell. I was scared...I couldn't..." 

The eagle screeched again. 

"Ya were lookin' for me, weren't ya? Well 'ere I am. Is somethin' happenin'? Are you alright?"

The eagle didn't respond. He just moved to the window which he began to peck at again for Ygritte to open the window, which she did.

"Don't be a stranger!" She called to him before she shut the window again.

"Same eagle that's tattooed on you?" Robb's tone of voice surprised her. She turned to look at him, confused.

"Aye, I need to know why he was 'ere. Somethin' happenin' if Orell is sendin' his eagle this far away."

"Maybe he was just looking for you," Robb sunk down into one of the chairs at the table.

"You're not...are ya actin' jealous of a fuckin' eagle comin' to see me right now, Robb Stark?" She crossed her arms across her chest. Sure, they had spent a lot of time together. Sure, she was very fond of him but there were some lines that hadn't been crossed. Did it really matter that they slept in the same bed? It was only to keep warm...

"No, I'm not."

Ygritte rolled her eyes at him as she checked the stew again. "Ya sure sound like your jealous to me..." She trailed off before she filled her and Robb's bowls.

"I'm not jealous. I have no claim on you."

"You're right. Ya don't." She sat down at the table in the chair across from him. 

"Doesn't matter the whole village thinks were married," Robb muttered under his breath. 

Ygritte decided to let it go for now as she began to eat the stew. She could not doing anything was bothering both of them. The random showing up of Orell was also strange. Why was he so far from the other side? Was he on this side? The question kept repeating in her mind. 

The rest of the meal was spent in silence which was starting to bother Ygritte. Maybe he wasn't jealous, maybe he was worried someone else knew he was here. 

"I'm not gonna let anythin' happen to ya if that's what you're worried about. I mean...Orell saw ya but he probably don't 'ave a clue who ya are." They had been so careful. 

"If he's a skinchanger, would he know why I can turn into a wolf?" Was that what his anger had been about? Ygritte hadn't considered that either. 

"I dunno. He might. There's more skinchangers than just 'im. Some are just wargs, they might know more about ya turning into a wolf. I told ya, I don't know nothin' 'bout it. Not to mention, you were dead, it's almost as if ya've been reborn, remade." She moved from the table, picking up their empty bowls to put in the sink. Robb's hand caught her arm. 

"Thank you," his eyes locked with her eyes as she gave him as puzzled look.

"Ya don't 'ave to thank me for takin' your bowl. Ya did..." Robb cut her off.

"That's not what I'm talking about. You took me in, you could have thrown me out. You were going to pretend to be my mistress....I know what you're risking. Thank you, Ygritte." He let go of her arm but she didn't move. 

"You're welcome. Wouldn't 'ave been awful for people to think I was your mistress. You're pretty enough for a kneeler king," she teased him as she put their bowls in the sink. 

"How many kneeler kings have you met?" He laughed. 

"Just you. Saw pictures of others, not very pretty." 

"I like your hair." 

She raised an eyebrow at him. Her hair was still short, a mess of small curls that resembled a bird's nest. "I'm kissed by fire, of course ya do." She would not blush, she would not turn into some blushing maid even though she wanted to. She hoped she was fighting against it. "If Orell comes back, we'll ask the bird about ya."

 

* * *

 

Ygritte had grown used to sleeping next to Robb Stark. His body heat was always welcomed into the bed with her. Besides, fighting over the furs and pulling at them, they stayed on their respective sides for the most part. Ygritte awoke to a scream.

Robb Stark was screaming. He seemed to be fighting some invisible force.  

"Robb, Robb. You're dreaming. Robb, wake up." She put a hand on his chest, trying to bring him out of his nightmare. 

When he awoke, he grabbed Ygritte's wrist. She felt like he might break it but the moment he realized it was her, she was released. He was trying to catch his breath as he looked over at her. 

"I'd ask if ya were havin' a nightmare but I already know the answer.." She sat up as he finally caught his breath. 

"Not a nightmare, a memory." 

She didn't have to ask what of. The reaction he had had told her all she needed to know. 

"You've never had it before, have ya?" 

Robb nodded. "You're normally gone or you sleep through it." 

Guilt flooded Ygritte. How could she have slept through it? She was normally such a light sleeper. Maybe she felt safe enough around Robb to let herself fall into a much deeper sleep. 

"Wake me next time." She pulled a fur back over her.

"What?"

"Next time, if I'm not awake, wake me up." 

"Why?" 

She rolled over and simply glared at him. 

"Don't glare at me. I'm not going to wake you. I'm a grown man, I don't need you to..." She reached out, covering his mouth with her hand. 

"Just let me do somethin' nice...for once." She removed her hand and rolled back over. 


End file.
